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Greensboro -- The photos are meant to be temporary, but many SnapChat users don't realize the photos can be saved forever.

The mobile app, launched about a year ago by a pair of recent
Stanford University graduates, enables users to share their photos with
friends, family, classmates, and romantic partners- for one to 10
seconds, according to USA Today College.

The message is supposed to vanish, but it can be saved onto the phone by taking a screenshot.

Current high schoolers, undergrads, and many others are enjoying the disappearing photo trick en masse, apparently sending roughly 20 million "Snap" photos daily. As TechCrunch notes, "Snapchat is seeing roughly the same number of photos shared per day as Instagram."

Social Media expert, Danielle Hatfield said SnapChat photos do not go away and parents need to be aware of what their kids are posting online and on phone applications.

Hatfield offers these tips for parents:

Make time for the "technology talk" to explain, or explore the dangers of digital over sharing and sexting

Regularly check what apps/services your tween/teen are using

Read the privacy policy and know the privacy settings for any service you use

According to The New York Times, Snapchat's privacy policy mentions it "cannot guarantee that the message data will be deleted in every case."